The Chamber of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court has overturned an order issued by Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek concerning Judge Łukasz Piebiak. The Supreme Court’s resolution ends the suspension of the judge’s official duties.
On 15 June, Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek ordered an immediate suspension of Łukasz Piebiak’s official duties as a judge of the District Court for Warsaw-City Centre.
The following day, the presidium of the National Council of the Judiciary decided to suspend Piebiak’s access to documents containing legally protected personal data until the full Council had taken a position on the matter. A special team was even appointed to prepare an opinion on what should happen next.
Today, a resolution in the case was issued by the Professional Liability Chamber, sitting in a panel composed of Supreme Court Judge Marek Siwek as presiding judge, Supreme Court Judge Zbigniew Korzeniowski, and lay judge Radosław Jeż.
The panel overturned the minister’s order. As a result, Judge Piebiak is returning to his official duties.
Under the relevant provisions, a decision by the justice minister to order an immediate suspension of a judge’s official duties remains in force until the disciplinary court issues the appropriate resolution, but for no longer than one month. The judicial disciplinary court then “immediately, and no later than before the expiry of the period for which the suspension was ordered, issues a resolution either suspending the judge from official duties or overturning the order suspending the performance of those duties.”
Before the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Lawyers for Poland Association published a post expressing solidarity with Judge Piebiak.
It recalled that the judge’s account on X had been taken over.
“The coincidence with Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek’s attack on Judge Łukasz Piebiak, namely, the order suspending him from his official duties, is obvious,”
the lawyers argued.
Attention was also drawn to the stance of the National Council of the Judiciary, of which Judge Piebiak is a member: “The NCJ failed to stand in defence against Żurek’s obvious interference in the composition of that body.”